Abbott’s gifts to the IPA: part 3

Freelance journalist Andrei Ghoukassian and former Crikey senior journalist Andrew Crook have sifted through all 100 policies promoted by the Institute of Public Affairs and found the Abbott government has promised quite a few of them.

Our journalism usually sits behind a paywall, but we believe this is the time to make more of our content freely available to as many readers as possible. For more free coverage, sign up to COVID-19 Watch.

How many of the policies of the right-wing Institute of Public Affairs has the Abbott government promised or delivered? Crikeyfirst looked at the IPA’s 100-point wishlist and compared it to Tony Abbott’s pre-election promises. Now, with the government halfway through its first term, we are revisiting that list.

We looked at the first 25 policies, including means-testing Medicare and the repeal of 18C, on Tuesday. Yesterday we tackled the next 25, including repealing the mining tax and privatising Australia Post. Today let’s look at the next 25, from privatising SBS to canning the NBN.

52. Reduce the size of the public service from current levels of more than 260,000 to at least the 2001 low of 212,784

Abbott committed to cutting 12,000 public servants through natural attrition before the election, then blamed secret Labor cuts for having to let go another 2500. Employment Minister Eric Abetz recently announced a review of the hiring freeze that’s been in place since 2013, so, if anything, the public service may start growing again.

STATUS: PARTIAL

53. Repeal theFair Work Act

Abbott promised the Fair Work Act would be “retained and improved” under the Coalition’s official workplace policy. Business groups are pressuring the government to act on industrial relations reform, especially in regard to retail and hospitality penalty rates. But Abbott has said publicly, “under our system it’s the Fair Work Commission which sets these rates, that’s how it is, that’s how it was, that’s how it will be”. Still, a yet-to-be released Productivity Commission report into the workplace relations framework is likely to inform the content of next year’s budget. Early indications are it will include discussions on penalty rates, labour flexibility, and bargaining.

STATUS: UNLIKELY

54. Allow individuals and employers to negotiate directly terms of employment that suit them

Again, the Coalition’s industrial relations reform agenda is likely to take shape after the release of the Productivity Commission’s report later this year, but Abbott has indicated a preference for individual flexibility agreements.

STATUS: POSSIBLE

55. Encourage independent contracting by overturning new regulations designed to punish contractors

Point 4 of the Coalition’s small business policy states clearly that an Abbott government would “resist Labor’s co-ordinated attack on the self employed”. Current laws will not be changed, but there is nothing specific about overturning regulations.

STATUS: PARTIAL

56. Abolish the Baby Bonus

Has been axed, but replaced by a complex system of smaller family payments related to Family Tax Benefit Part A and B.

STATUS: PARTIAL

57. Abolish the First Home Owners’ Grant

The First Home Owner Grant Act, introduced to compensate for the GST, is still bumbling along zombie style with various bonuses still in place in the states. Would require a co-ordinated effort to scrap it wholesale. No word yet from Abbott or anyone else.

STATUS: UNLIKELY

58. Allow the Northern Territory to become a state

Nope.

STATUS: UNLIKELY

59. Halve the size of the Coalition front bench from 32 to 16

Abbott’s first cabinet was made up of 19 members, close to the IPA’s ideal number of 16.

STATUS: PARTIAL

60. Remove all remaining tariff and non-tariff barriers to international trade

It probably would take 50 years to scrap everything, but the Abbott government has negotiated free trade agreements with Korea, Japan and China — pleasing the IPA’s Chris Berg. Next on the agenda is the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which could further free up trade with our regional neighbours.

STATUS: PARTIAL

61. Slash top public servant salaries to much lower international standards, like in the United States

Abbott has told public servants to expect modest reductions in wages across the board, in line with the meagre 1.5% offer made to Defence personnel. However, he’s yet to indicate a strong interest in going after top-level salaries.

STATUS: PARTIAL

62. End all public subsidies to sport and the arts

The 2014 budget stripped $100 million in funding from the arts, with $38 million of that coming from Screen Australia, but the Australian Sports Commission’s $170 million in federal funding was left largely untouched.

STATUS: PARTIAL

63. Privatise the Australian Institute of Sport

Clearly influenced by the incoming Fraser government’s desire to axe-Whitlam era largesse, the call seems outdated these days. Cory Bernardi, a former rower at the AIS, still loves it. Not a good sign. The 2009 Crawford Report recommended stripping funding from unsuccessful sports; maybe that’s a better direction?

STATUS: UNLIKELY

64. End all hidden protectionist measures, such as preferences for local manufacturers in government tendering

The debate around who will build Australia’s next generation of submarines revealed the level of feeling around this issue, with Abbott eventually having to allow local manufacturers to compete for the tender. David Johnston’s comments that the ASC (formerly the Australian Submarine Corporation) couldn’t build a canoe didn’t help the Coalition, costing him his job as defence minister.

STATUS: POSSIBLE

65. Abolish the Office for Film and Literature Classification

Looks more like a tin-foil Liberal Democractic Party initiative, but even with David Leyonhjelm in the Senate, this hasn’t got a look in.

STATUS: UNLIKELY

66. Rule out any government-supported or mandated internet censorship

The apparent proposal for a mandatory internet filter included in the pre-election Coalition Online Safety Policy was immediately scrapped after it was embarrassingly found to be “in error”. However, the subject entered the spotlight again when Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull mooted an online piracy crackdown that would block websites used to share unauthorised content.

STATUS: PROMISED

67. Means test tertiary student loans

No plans for this.

STATUS: UNLIKELY

68. Allow people to opt out of superannuation in exchange for promising to forgo any government income support in retirement

Abbot has frozen increases to superannuation at 9.5%, and increases are not due to reach 12% until 2021. Less super but not no super, and no chance to forgo the pension. Instead, the Treasurer is spruiking the idea of letting people access their super sooner to buy homes.

STATUS: UNLIKELY

69. Immediately halt construction of the National Broadband Network and privatise any sections that have already been built

The Coalition’s plan to build a fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) network has changed significantly since election. Following the release of a cost-benefit analysis last August, Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the government would embrace a multi-technology mix to complete the project. Privatisation plans might happen eventually, although this would require all sorts of legislative hurdles first, including an independent finding from the Productivity Commission.

STATUS: UNLIKELY

70. End all government-funded Nanny State advertising

IPA hero John Howard spent $2 billion on government advertising and information campaigns, despite a 1995 statement from the then-opposition leader that there “is clearly a massive difference between necessary government information for the community and blatant government electoral propaganda”. Kevin Rudd hit back before the 2007 election, saying the ads were a “sick cancer” that “undermined democracy” and that any campaign over $250,000 would be submitted to the Commonwealth Auditor-General for vetting. In 2010, Rudd backflipped on that promise, moving the decision-making to a three-person panel. Rudd’s $30 million boat people campaign continued on into the election period, in breach of caretaker conventions, according to George Brandis. The Abbott government’s $15 million advertising campaign in support of higher education reform suggests it’s not going to change things any time soon.

The IPA might not like it, but Liberals like Alan Tudge do. Harmony Day is Philip Ruddock’s baby – the Howard government established the Living in Harmony Program in 1998, fulfilling a glorious 1996 election promise.

STATUS: NOT ON THE MEMBER FOR BEROWRA’S WATCH

74. Close the Office for Youth

Established by the Rudd government in 2008, the Office for Youth has been chugging along OK. No commitment to scrap as yet, but with Scott Morrison as Minister for Social Services, it’s at least a possibility.

STATUS: UNLIKELY

75. Privatise the Snowy Hydro Scheme

The Commission of Audit recommended the sale of the federal government’s remaining shares in the Snowy Hydro Scheme, which currently sits at 13%. NSW and Victoria own 58% and 29% respectively, so they would have to be on board too. No big push yet, but with states looking to recycle assets, it looks likes being a matter of time.

This crisis will cut hard and deep but one day it will be over.

What will be left? What do you want to be left?

I know what I want to see: I want to see a thriving, independent and robust Australian-owned news media. I want to see governments, authorities and those with power held to account. I want to see the media held to account too.

Demand for what we do is running high. Thank you. You can help us even more by encouraging others to subscribe — or by subscribing yourself if you haven’t already done so.